SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday renewed his push for a total ban on online gambling, warning that its addictive nature and easy access through mobile phones have made it increasingly difficult to regulate in the digital age.
“I just want to manifest my personal stand, which is lahat ng online gaming i-ban totally because it’s habit-forming, it’s addictive, and it preys mostly on the poor,” Cayetano said during his interpellation on Senate Bill No. 2424 under Committee Report No. 81, or the Child Safety and Protection Act, on Sept. 7.
A long-time critic of gambling, Cayetano said the accessibility of online gambling allows people to place bets even while working, putting their daily earnings at risk within a matter of minutes.
“You could be a taxi driver at sa cellphone mo, whether while driving or sometimes nakaparada ka lang, at kumita ka ng isang libo noong araw na iyon, pero matatalo ka ng isang libo in 15 minutes. That’s the reality,” he said.
Cayetano also backed restrictions on online gambling advertisements, noting that free speech may have limits when it comes to promoting addictive activities.
“I fully support free speech. But may limits din ang free speech, especially when it comes to advertising something na may addiction,” he said.
Cayetano has pushed measures against gambling across several Congresses, including the Anti-Online Gambling Act in the 19th Congress. He renewed the push in the 20th Congress with Senate Bill No. 30, or the proposed Ban on Online Gambling Act, filed by Senator Pia Cayetano, as well as Senate Bill No. 109, which seeks to ban online gambling advertisements across media platforms.
Cayetano said regulating online gambling has become more challenging in the digital age, with smartphones putting access to betting within reach wherever a person may be.
“In the information age, in the digital age, in a generation that is entering this world where everything is at your fingertips because of your cell phone, napakahirap mag-regulate,” he said.
“But if we don’t try, we already failed,” he added.
Despite the difficulty of regulating online gambling, Cayetano maintained that the government should be prepared to take stronger action to protect the public from its risks.
“When it comes to certain things that are totally unhealthy, like vaping and online gaming, may we find the courage to totally ban them in our country,” he said.
